George Fox is growing. Enrollment has grown consistently over the past decade, with the past several freshman classes being record-setting in size. So what's on the horizon for this small quaker university? Where are we headed? Robin Baker undoubtedly has plans for the future that we as students are not privy too, but here are some of the things that we do know.
Swimming is coming. The team is already practicing for next winter. We have both a men's team and a women's team, and if you stop by the Chehalem Aquatic Center any weeknight around 9pm, they will be there, swimming laps and working out. The new aquatic center will be completed by the fall, and there will be George Fox swim meets shortly after that.
Tennis is being rewarded for their success. The men's tennis team has been very successful in recent years, and this is being rewarded by the school with a new indoor facility being built at the Austin Sports Complex property. The building will be finished soon, and the team will be using it in the next years.
The new student activity center is being built. This one is hard to miss if you live on campus, especially in HMS or Lewis. the constant construction near the canyon commons is going towards the new SAC. The Activity Center will house three new basketball/volleyball courts, new ASC office and club spaces, a fitness center overlooking the canyon, a student lounge, a rock-climbing wall, two yoga studios and an indoor walking track. The building is supposed to be completed this upcoming fall.
A new dorm is coming in the fall of 2019. In January, GFU announced plans to construct a new residence hall near Brandt and Le Shana. The dorm is planned to have four stories with between 150 and 200 new beds. Construction is supposed to begin in May or June, so by this summer, we could see yet another construction site on campus.
There's a whole lot of growth happening right now, and I think it's cool to be in the middle of it. George Fox is growing up, you guys. It's cool to be a part of it.